All posts tagged: vegan

All the most delicious dumpling and noodle broths call for animal fat or fish seasoning of some kind to boost their flavour. In my current state as a midweek vegetarian – and cooking for a boy who requires a stab to the thigh with an epi pen at even the mention of a prawn – neither were options. However, I happened upon frozen Itsu Vegetable Gyoza in the ready meal freezer at ASDA yesterday, so desperately wanted to knock something up to serve them in, and this was more than sufficient. Makes enough for 1 300g pack frozen dumplings 1.5 litres vegetable stock (I used bouillon powder) 1 red chilli 1 large chunk ginger 3-5 cloves garlic soy sauce pinch sugar Chop chilli finely, grate ginger and garlic coarsely. Heat 1-2 tbsps oil in a pan (the more neutral the better aka sunflower or groundnut, but if you’ve only got olive it’s not the end of the world) and cook the chilli, garlic and ginger until beginning to brown. Pour in stock, add soy sauce …

There’s no direct replacement for meat come BBQ season, I myself am preparing to cave on the mostly-plant-based front as soon as it’s sunny enough to take hot coals down to the beach and smoke out anyone in a 5 metre radius. There are, however, several worthy alternatives. Aubergine is one of them. It’s a naturally smoky vegetable, and one that gratefully absorbs any flavour you introduce it to – making it particularly susceptible to a good BBQ rub. I was in the mood for a fancy one (feel free to recommend if you have a fav) but ASDA had only the Nando’s Peri Peri BBQ rub to offer, which did me just fine. Score as deeply as possible without cutting through the flesh for best results, and remember that aubergine’s a bastard for absorbing oil – so you’ll need more than you’d need for any other vegetable you’re used to baking in this way. For each salad-y thing you can see pictured in the featured image, I’ve included brief instructions and method after the …

Coming up with quick, easy, repeatable weeknight meals that don’t contain meat or dairy can be a massive ballache. It’s a large contributer to why I haven’t taken the plunge into actual proper vegan yet. Therefore, whenever I happen upon one, I’ll do my level best to share it with you. This vegan cheesy pasta from back in January is dinner for me at least twice a week, so be sure to bookmark that one too if you share in my plant based dinner inspiration struggles. This recipe yields enough for one portion for you for dinner tonight and three portions boxed up in tupperware for work – all for well under a fiver. One of the major positives to chilling out on the meat and dairy front. Notes on ingredients: If you’ve never used Old El Paso fajitas mix outside of its meal kit context before, you haven’t lived. That stuff is like gold dust, and deserves its own place in the kitchen cupboard alongside your other staple spices. The best vegan mince I’ve tried …